In this era of pop culture mash-ups few, whichever finally hit the bigtime mainstream market, leap out as anything special. But MR MEN DR WHO? Oh we were onto this without seeing a single image.

The much loved – and still hilarious at any age – Mr Men were of course the creation of Roger Hargreaves, subsequent characters and adventures created and curated by his son Adam. This is his latest and arguably – okay to those of us older than 5 – greatest MM venture, debuting the last week of April 2017 (link below to launch event at Forbidden Planet).

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We spoke to those nice folk at Random House and asked for some preview pages to share. We were onto this without seeing a single image having no doubt how much fun they would be. Damn were we right… 🙂

Plenty of sites review books and graphic novels. When I created Carabas I wanted to do something wider, using a few decades of industry experience to intuit upcoming best reads and preview them as recommends. I was waiting for something a little special before writing my first personal review.

On just seeing the title ‘Scotland Yardie’ coming from veteran indie graphic novel publisher Knockabout I was grinning my backside off, then again perusing the summary. Carabas is much inspired by Deadline, a 90s counterculture music and comics magazine: discovering Scotland Yardie debuted in Bobby Samuel’s contemporaneous Skank magazine, I was sure, for numerous reasons, I’d found that particular title I was after.

Now just published, here are some preview pages courtesy of Knockabout and the creators, preceded by my first personal review as to why you should be parting with your retail or personal budget and grabbing yourself a stash of Scotland Yardie… As ever, enjoy!

Having missed it in previous years we just had to get along to this years CECAF, the Crouch End Cartoon Art Festival, even if – as was the case – it was one of our classically late arrivals. CECAF, created by Sean Azzopardi, features as part of the Crouch End Festival though is very much it’s own thing and, as we discovered, really is a great mix of creators indie and mainer-stream, all sharing a real love of the scene and medium.

If you weren’t aware of it, couldn’t make, or were just even later than us (!) here’s a look at the books and folk at CECAF 2016 with Web and Twitter details: explore, discover, follow and enjoy!

It may have been going for six years but the Angel Comedy Club, run by the comedians themselves, still entertains audiences new and old every week. It was an innocent Google search that led me to Time Out, which rated the club amongst the top free things to do in London, and then to the club itself. I was prepared to be disappointed. I wasn’t – at all. Who would have guessed that above the Camden Head pub in Islington was such an incredible and uplifting event happening in their function room?

We’re all about alternative music here, and SFF as well of course. So when Gareth L Powell tweeted that a band called The Boy from Space were releasing a tune based on his cult hit Ack Ack Macaque books we were all over it.

Check out what The Boy from Space’s Guy Thompson had to say on it all…

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Some of my earliest memories involve watching TV shows and films such as The Boy From Space, Planet of the Apes and Marine Boy – Sci Fi has always been a huge part of my life. I always loved music and the first link between the two major influences in my life would be the theme music to these programmes. Music that has haunted me throughout my adult life. Read the rest of this entry »

I’d spotted ZOMBIES HATE KUNG FU launching in the LSCC table guide. Speaking personally zombies aren’t really my thing (yes I know, everyone else loves them and I’m wrong). Kung Fu on the other hand… So before the con was out I made sure to head along for a chat with creator and writer Ricky-Marcel Pitcher.

We arrive, fashionably late, to the Excel Centre for 2016’s London Super Comic Con. First priority? Coffee. Second priority: get photo of Brit Cit Judge having a fag. Third priority: make note to bring camera-to-laptop cable tomorrow.

All is in full flow and a busy day ahead. Got a good few creators to catch up with, mostly artists, and panels to see (can’t miss Mark Buckingham and John Totleben’s MIRACLEMAN: KIMOTA! panel for one!) and then there’s the parties and general pub meets after.

When we saw the title and cover of Mean Girls Club (coming in September) we wondered just how mean they would be, so Nobrow publishing beat us around the head with a proof copy and made us cry until we agreed to say that they’re exceptionally mean. Only we actually didn’t need to be told after reading it – because they really really are! Get a taste of just how mean from the extract Nobrow called us horrid names until we agreed to put upwere kind enough to supply below…

“Seems to me, politics have entered too much into the decisions of our leadership.” – John Wayne

Hello and welcome to the first of our UK General Elections for the year 2015. And with the tensions, stakes and Boris Johnson all hotting up, what better way to submerge the floating voter than with Home Defence’s Election Special update? Read the rest of this entry »

“I don’t think the end of the world is the end of the world.” – Lee Ryan

Welcome all, to a sunny springtime of corruption, war and unwell dogs. And what better way to celebrate 2015 getting into gear than with a read of the interweb’s deluxe Paranoia and Lifestyle Webzine, Home Defence?

Three Cornish Schoolboys Leave UK “To Fight For House Targaryen”.This time we start in Cornwall, where three families are horrified to discover their sons intending to fight in a dangerous foreign war. That’sInternational News.

Back home inNational News, Ed Milliband and Andy Burnham have been forced to reveal Labour’s intention to fully weaponise the NHS.